System Safety

The electrical system in your home and office is the most overlooked of all integrated utility systems. Most people don’t give it a second thought, it is just expected to work. However it can also be the most dangerous if any part of the system isn’t working properly! Any electrical device, whether it be a plug, switch, light fixture, etc., not working properly has the potential to cause a fire!  Call Elite Electric Inc. and have your electrical system inspected! It could be the best call you ever make! 

And remember, misuse of electricity such as…

This…

or this…

could lead to this.

or worse, a fire could start inside the wall without you knowing about it!!

The photo below shows poor quality workmanship resulting in arching
and heating up of the wire which will melt the insulation and pose a huge risk of fire.

This photo shows aluminum wires heating up and causing the wire nut to melt.

The Commission has received numerous reports about home fires that have been attributed to the use of aluminum conductors in branch circuits. Many of these fires have been the result of overheated terminals involving aluminum wiring and a receptacle or switch. 
 

The Commission currently is evaluating the data presented at the hearings by consumers and representatives of industry and government and conducting additional tests at the National Bureau of Standards to better understand the failure mechanism. Further action by the Commission is dependent upon a finding that aluminum wiring is either a substantial product hazard or poses an unreasonable risk of injury to consumers.

An estimated two million homes and mobile homes have been constructed using aluminum wiring since 1965.

To assist consumers who live in homes with aluminum wiring to reduce the potential risk of fire and the possibility of dangerous overheating, the Commission suggests the following precautionary steps. 

  1. If you are not certain or if you do not know whether your home is wired completely with aluminum, ask a knowledgeable electrician or other qualified individual to make the determination. If aluminum wiring was used, have the electrician or individual check the connections on heavily loaded and constantly loaded circuits to determine if the electrical connections have been made properly or show evidence of deterioration.

  2.  Trouble signs associated with aluminum wiring problems include:
  • warm switch or receptacle face plates.
  • strange or distinctive odor or the smell of burning plastic in the vicinity of a receptacle or switch.
  • flickering of lights not traceable to appliances or obvious external causes. 

Source:  U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

IF THESE SIGNS OF TROUBLE ARE PRESENT IN YOUR HOME, call us for a diagnosis of the problem.